I can see through you
by JustTwisted
Summary: WIP.started off as only hinting at a closer *Nick/Greg* friendship but has progressed to cute (non-graph) slash level. If you're put off by that, don't worry - the first chapters are pretty much free-for-all. Enjoy the fun :-)
1. Taking the time

Disclaimer –CSI and its characters are not mine. I'm just borrowing them a bit, and using them for my own twisted purposes. 

Rating: erm, this chapter's pretty PG, but maybe later the fic will be PG-13 to give me some scope for bad lingo and a more slashy theme if/when I continue.

Spoilers: Erm, only if you don't know what happened to the call-girl Nick was dating in season 1. 

Content: Nick/Greg friendship, which I like to read as slashiness, and could be later. I'm sorry but these two **do** flirt – it was that whole scene where Nick kept standing too close to Greg…G

Setting: thought I'd set this after 'Slaves of LV'. 

Note: This is just a v.quick thing I wrote on a whim. Just so y'know. ;-) . Oh and the titles cheesily taken from Staind's 'Outside': _I'm on the outside | I'm looking in |I can see through you | see your true colours…and I can see through you |see to the real you._

Feedback: Let's hear a "HellYeah!"

I can see through you

Nick sighed, rubbing his aching neck muscles. It was the end of a long night-shift of paperwork, after one of the strangest cases yet. He walked through the corridors, past fellow workers in suits and labcoats, all with briefcases, files, or coffees in their hands.

  Everyone seemed so normal…could they really all be like Catherine said? All with their own kinky sexual fantasies?

"Hey, Nick, penny for your thoughts."

 Nicky stopped, and took  a step back to stand in the  doorway of the room he'd just passed. Greg was sitting with his feet up, reports in hand, and had called out upon seeing the CSI pass by slowly with a pensive look.

 "Hey, I know my pay's bad, but I'm not that strapped for cash Greg. " he replied light-heartedly, finding himself entering the lab.

  Greg rocked back on his chair – probably not a good idea with his feet up – and waved his arms wide, grinning.

 "Y'know I give up with you CSI's. All my many efforts beyond the call of duty just get knocked back in my face."

Nick  grinned back.

 "Well its the shirts man. Make you an easy target."

The Lab tech shook his head, refusing to be beaten.

 "No, no, you guys never give me enough credit. I'm the one holding you guys up y'know."

 Nick felt a full on a banter-session coming. What the hell, it was late..well, early;  it had been a weird couple of days; and the only thing waiting for him back home was an empty bed, and if he was lucky, some days-old leftovers.

 He put his jacket on the table, and leaned back against the desk behind him, folding his arms.

 "Oh you are, are you?"

Greg nodded, barely containing a smile.

 "Yes I am..if it wasn't for my fast-tracking of your tests through here, and my occasional cracking of cases-"

 Nick had to interrupt,

 "-excuse me? Occasional? Non-science speaking, you helped **once** Greg, with the scuba-thing."

Greg quickly turned the conversation.

 "That was a very strange case wasn't it?"

Nick laughed at the misdirection.

 "Yeah it was Greg. Though I think this last thing was a little out there too…"

 Something in Nick's face, perhaps a little frown that went with his words,  told Greg that this might have been the reason behind his friend's thoughtful look earlier;

 "C'mon Nick," he ventured, " I never picked you for the naïve type."

 That was something of a lie. Everyone knew Nick as the ladies man, it came with his looks, his charm, and of course, the rumours about his relationship with a call-girl. However, Greg really wasn't such a self-centred lay-a-bout as everyone thought; he'd had a lot of friends in his lifetime, and he had learnt how to read people. He strongly suspected that Nick really was, like him, still a kid at heart. There was always something of an innocence about him. Perhaps it was his baby-face, or his position in the group; the least experienced, with Catherine acting as a mother-figure, and Warrick as his big brother. 

 It was strange, but whenever Nick went home at night, Greg always pictured him going back to his parents' house, with maybe a stop-by to see his high school-sweetheart. He was just that type of guy.

It was clear now, as Nick got that confused, shy look on his face.

 "I dunno, it's just something Catherine said, I guess, about everyone playing out their own twisted fantasies in their living rooms…"

 As soon as he said it like that, he was expecting a crude comeback or mockery from Greg, and was already regretting bringing it up. But instead, the guy opposite him  really looked interested.

 "What, you mean like everyone's like the guys who go to places like that?"

 Nick nodded.

 "That's what Catherine thinks." he was cautious now, not sure if he was sounding naïve again.

 Greg looked away for a moment biting his lip, actually thinking.

 "Well, as much as I defer to Cat's wisdom," he said eventually, "I can't believe everyone in the world is as screwed up as those guys.

Now Nick was surprised. 

"_You _ think those guys are screwed up?" if anyone had been more amused by the whole case it had been Greg; Nick just assumed that he'd love all that kinky stuff.

Greg gave a smile, that actually seemed a little tired.

 "I know, I know- I'm the office clown when it comes to that stuff . But seriously, there's gotta be something off base about those guys if they can't find what they need in a normal, healthy relationship."

 Nick was staring at him incredulously.

 "Okay, now forgive me, but I never pictured Greg Sanders as the poster-boy for loving, mature adult relationships."

Greg shook his head in mild amusement.

 "Y'know, that's the problem with you guys."

 Nick frowned, "What, us CSIs?"

"yeah! I see how Grissom keeps you all at bay, and how you all get annoyed that he never reveals anything about his personal life. But I'm telling you man, from what I can see, you're all the same. You all shut each other out. I mean, Catherine's probably not as bad, we all know Lindsay and know about her ex…but I bet no-one here knows what you do in your own time, what's your favourite food, or, I dunno, what your most meaningful relationship was…" he laughed at their ignorance to their own behaviour. "I'm telling you – you're all hiding. It's weirdly impersonal here."

 "Woah." Was all Nick could say. "Did you take psych 101 at college Greg?"

 Greg pointed his finger at him as if to say 'a-ha!'

 "You see? That's exactly my point. Exactly. You don't know if I did or not. You've never asked. And so you certainly have no idea about my feelings about 'loving, mature, relationships'. All you get is what I give you – namely, my entertaining light-hearted, though vastly under appreciated, conversation in the five minutes you spend with me of each case."

 Nick was looking at him quizzically.

 "It's been a long night for you hasn't it Greg?"

Greg stretched his arms, and gave a lazy smile.

 "Yes it has. But I'm still right. And you know it."

They locked eyes for a minute, before Nick laughed and shook his head.

 "Okay, I'm beat. I'm going."

"Okay buddy. " Greg sighed, starting to flick back through the files in his lap.

As Nick picked up his jacket and made to leave though, he stopped just inside the door.

 "Hey, Greg?"

"Hmm?" Greg murmered,  looking up.

 Nick smiled and closed his eyes at his own foolishness.

 "I go to the gym and play pool, I have a weakness for chocolate-chip cookies, and my most meaningful relationship was cut short when my girlfriend was murdered by her pimp."

 Greg stared back for a second, before his face was overcome with gratitude.

 "Thanks man."

Nick gave a cautious smile back.

 "Later. I've got an empty apartment to get back to."

With that Greg was left alone, feeling privileged to have got a little bit more understanding of the young CSI. And he couldn't help wondering if there could be a deeper friendship there.

  For truth be told, Greg worked as many unsociable hours as the rest of them. He didn't have much time for the few friends he had outside of work, most of whom were merely neighbours or former college buddies with lives of their own. Most of the free time that he had was spent with the girls who fell quickly for his charms.  The longest relationship he'd had since he started this job was three months, and it was her who had left him, for a guy who wasn't a science nerd, who worked reasonable hours, was better paid, and who frankly didn't look at samples of god-knows-what for a living.

  And at work, sure, he flirted with some of the female lab techs and assistants. But he never got invited out for dinner or breakfast with the CSIs, never got to visit crime scenes and feel the rush of thinking through the first theories with them. Nope, he just stayed in his lab, wore a cocky grin, loud shirts, and then went home to his own empty apartment. 

  And he was smart. They often forgot that. The surf-dude front he put on hid the hours of his spare time he spent looking through forensic science journals, reading decent books, and watching intelligent movies.  And he watched other things too; he watched people. He watched Catherine and Grissom's friendship, he watched how Grissom and Sara's minds followed the same patterns of thought, he watched Warrick's determination and professionalism, especially when teamed up with Catherine. And he watched Nick. He liked Nick. It occurred to him that should they have met outside of CSI they could still have been friends. It was always fun when Nick appeared in his doorway, got in his way, showed his naivety sometimes, and joked about his latest hiding place for his porn. 

  Now if only he could get him to stop treating him like just another friendly co-worker, another someone outside the team…

Oh well. He could always hope.

Sighing again, he glanced up at the clock. A smile formed. 

_ At least he stayed for over 5 minutes this time. _ 

_TBC_

R/R- you know you want to ..


	2. Breakfast Buddies

Spoilers: Erm, 'Blood Drops', and v.vague for 'Overload' (helps if you actually know what Nick told Cath in that ep.)

A day later, and Nick arrived at work in an inexplicable good mood – one of those moods were you feel benevolent towards everyone ; the assistants on the front desk got his widest, toothiest smile, and he was the first one there at morning hand-out, enthusiastic with the case he'd been given to tackle alone. 

  On his way out of the building, heading out to the crime scene, he found himself passing Greg's lab, and spurred on by his good mood, thought _Why not?_.

 He ducked his head in and called "Hey."

 Greg looked up from his work at him, and then to the clock on the wall.

 "Hey Nick,  isn't it a little early to be bringing me something?"

 Nick smiled, feeling inexplicably nervous.

 "Ah, no evidence to process, just an invitation."

 Greg turned back to him with a wicked grin, intrigued.

 "Oh, really? Do continue." 

 "How 'bout gettin' some breakfast with me at the end of the shift?"

Greg smiled, but narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the unusual offer.

 "Lemme guess, you're dealing with a case all on your lonesome huh?"

 Nick threw his hands up, embarrassed, as if to say 'you caught me';

 "Still, c'mon Greg, you were saying just the other day we should spend more time together."

 As soon as he'd said it they both looked to the side quizzically, recalling that conversation, and remembering that those really hadn't  been Greg's **exact **words. The CSI started to go red in the face, but thankfully Greg didn't call him on it.

 Instead he turned back to his work, putting his own hands up in defeat.

 "Okay, okay, come by after your shift."

 Nick smacked the doorframe in success.

"Cool, thanks man."

 "Later"  Greg called after him. After a second or two, he looked up from his work back up to where Nick had been standing.

 _Huh_, he thought, _ maybe this is the start of a beautiful friendship after all.._

~ ~ ~

They had breakfast at a place nearby, or at least within walking distance. They were nearly half-way through their meals before they finally got away from shop-talk, and Greg called Nick on the sudden disappearance of his earlier good mood.

  Nick had actually been looking thoughtful and distant for most of the night ; he'd already had the guy in ballistics and the detective at the crime scene ask him if something was wrong. Obviously, they weren't the best people to have a personal conversation with.

 He sighed, putting down his glass of water.

 "I checked my voice mail earlier." He started slowly. "And I got a message from an old college buddy of mine."

Greg looked up, and spoke with his mouth full,

 "Bad news?" he tried to ask sincerely.

 Nick smiled in amusement at the sight before him, and carried on,

 "No…not really. He's getting married next month."

 Greg sat back and wiped his mouth with his napkin.

 "Ahh…I see. You're having one of those 'why him and not me' crises."

 "No!"

Greg gave him a look, causing him to roll his eyes in defeat.

"Okay…kinda. Its just…y'know they've been together for four years Greg. Four years! I can't imagine how much easier the past four years of my life would've been if I'd had someone all that time.**" **

Now Greg wiped any teasing grin off his face, and shook his head sadly

 "God, y'know, as much as I envy you guys getting to go out into the real world…I guess you see a lot of messed up stuff huh? Scuba-divers and fetish-clubs aside, I mean…"

Nick nodded.

"yeah. I mean…you remember when that girl got her boyfriend to kill her whole family?"

" The one Cath cracked with the blood spatters right?"

Nick smiled.

 "Y'see, that's just it. You remember it 'cause of the science. But whenever I think about that case, all I can remember is seeing those boys, and their mom, just lying in their beds with their throats cut. I mean, how do you even talk to someone about that stuff?"

His voice was light, conversational, but the way he was gesturing with his arms, and the look in his eyes made Greg answer earnestly, looking him straight in the eye.

"Well, you're talking to me now."

There was a pause. A serious Greg was a sign of a conversation getting heavy. Nick laughed lightly and looked away.

"Yeah… But y'know,  its no big deal. I'm just rambling. Ignore me, man, it's been a long night."

"Nick."

"yeah?."

"You don't have to pull that with me."

Nick started to protest, but he continued, leaning forward in his seat.

"Listen, I get that you CSIs aren't really supposed to take things personally, and Grissom wants you to be detached, professional and all…but I'm not  them, Nick. You don't have to pretend that its 'no big deal' with me."

Nick eyes showed his gratitude. There was a pause as if he was deciding whether to say something, and then Greg's open looks seemed to encourage him.

"Y'know, there was a case that got to me a little while back - brought up some bad history…and I found myself telling Catherine about it. And you know, I've regretted it ever since."

"Why, what'd she say? I mean, c'mon, Cath's no Grissom, she's taken some cases to heart herself."

Nick shook his head.

" It wasn't like that....it was, well, she just kind of looked at me with pity y'know? And I realised then that I'd just shown myself up as like this emotional kid in her eyes…I know she wouldn't admit it, but I could see it in the way she treated my after that, for a while. I haven't really felt comfortable talking about how cases affect me since…"

Greg looked at him carefully.

" That's life I guess…never knowing when's the right time to open up to someone, and when's the time to keep it to yourself."

Nick looked over at him, 

"Okay, Greg, now **you** sound like you've got something to get off you chest."

The young guy across from him looked back, uncertainty in his eyes. 

 "Okay, Nick…I don't know how to tell you this, but…'

He averted his eyes dramatically.

 "I'm broke. This meal is on you my friend."

Nick laughed, as he began to get out his wallet.

 "You're a complete cheapskate, y'know this right?"

 Greg leaned back in his chair, languishing in the Vegas sun.

 "I prefer 'thrifty'."

"Thrifty? Greg, little old ladies are 'thrifty'. Grown men are, at best, 'economical'."

"Well then, that's me. "

"And that explains your shirts"

 Greg laughed incredulously.

 "What is it with the shirt digs? You should all be happy for me bringing a little colour to your lives."

Nick smiled, as he counted out the correct number of bills.

 "You certainly do Greg. That you do. "

_TBC_

R/R – go on, go on, go on J


	3. What you didn't say

_ Spoilers: Nada._

_Science Stuff: Know v.little. So excuse any inaccuracies._

Sarah and Nick strode into Greg's lab eagerly. 

 "You got something for us?" Sara asked loudly-and impatiently , seeing that Greg was off in own private world of his personal stereo.

 "Woah, nice to see you too Sara", Greg muttered, taking off his headphones, and raising his eyes at Nick in a silent message: _I maintain my status of 'under-appreciated' ._ Nick's reply, through a relaxing of his face and pleading eyes was _I know, I know, but just please don't piss her off right now. _

   Over a hundred thousand dollars' worth of jewellery had been stolen earlier in the evening in a violent break-in, and it looked like it was a highly professional job.  The whole case rested on a single strand of hair they'd found at the crime scene, and if it turned out to simply be one of the owner's, or the test inconclusive, Nick honestly thought Sara was going to have a stroke. She really didn't like to loose. 

  Greg soon picked up the 'on-the-warpath' vibe himself, regardless of Nick's meaningful look, and he turned to pick up the sheet of paper that had just finished printing as Sara had come in…

 "I got you a match, and ooh, looks like he's got a record." He handed the paper over to Sara who snatched it quickly, scanning through.

 "_Ex_cellent. I'm gonna go call Brass…"

  And with that she was off, leaving Greg and Nick standing there faintly amused, Greg's hand still outstretched.

 "Hey, you're welcome". Greg announced to the empty space Sara had just occupied.

 Nick grinned and patted him on the shoulder good-humouredly.

 " 'S'one of the days amigo."

 "No kidding." Greg smiled back. "Is there something about this case I don't know? It wasn't one of the Sheriff's wealthy friends who got their Picasso's snatched was it?"

 Nick laughed.

 "Well, actually, they were Pollock originals, and their owner was just a pain-in-the-ass who looked at me and Sara like we were dirt. She just wants to show the guy that law enforcement isn't completely brain-dead."

 Greg raised his eyebrows.

 "Well I can't speak for our doughnut-eating buddies at the station, but people should realise we_ are _scientists. And y'know I hear some people around here even graduated high-school."

 Nick mocked surprise.

 "You don't say?"

 "Yeah, I know. I hear it's kept pretty hush-hush though."

The two guys grinned at each other, enjoying these banter-sessions that had become more and more common over the past couple of days, since they'd gone out to breakfast together. 

  Although admittedly there was a small age-gap, they found that they were really getting on well together. They'd spent most of their breaks chatting; and for some reason, they'd taken them in Greg's lab rather than in the lounge. None of them had really said why, but they each had a vague sense of wanting some privacy. Those two conversations, especially the one they'd had at breakfast, crossed some line from casual friendship to a situation where Nick had felt comfortable confessing certain things to Greg, who'd listened with unexpected interest and intelligence. 

  "So hey, you finished for the night now?" Greg asked,  packing some slides away.

 Nick leant his folded arms down on the desk, watching his friend work.

 "Yeah, pretty much, if Brass makes a simple arrest. Things have been quiet lately." His and Greg's eyes met, realising a tempting of fate when they heard one. "Touch wood." Nick muttered quickly, looking around. 

 They both stood realising the problems the superstitious faced in a modern science lab. Plastic, glass, metal, yes. Wood, no.

 "Crap." Nick muttered again, but with a smile on his face.

 Greg went back to packing up his equipment, shaking his head in mild amusement.

  "Hey, that's what you get from speaking without thinking first. "

 Nick looked at him incredulous, 

 "Excuse me? This would be Greg Sanders I'm speaking to here? Foot constantly in mouth?"

 Greg grinned.

 "Hey, I'm learning my lessons. Caffeine-induced behaviour aside, I'm 'look before you leap' guy."

 Nick was about to voice his disbelief, before he was struck with a thought,

 "How weird would the world be if we all just said what we were thinking, y'know, without any censoring whatsoever? Y'know, just came right out and say everything that crossed our minds"

 Greg shook his head,

 "Never happen."

Nick wasn't about to be phased.

 "No, really, what if it did? What if, I dunno, a bunch of people agreed to voice everything they thought? I mean, on the whole it'd have to be a good thing right? 'Cause surely everyone would have a better understanding of each other? "

 Greg stopped what he was doing, and turned back to his friend, thinking it through.

 "Well, yeah I guess they would. And that'd be the problem."

 He saw Nick's curious look, and continued slowly, cautiously.

 "I mean, apart from the fact that nobody would be able to hide it if they hated someone – which, could cause a lot of grief, socially speaking – you wouldn't be able to hide it if you  were attracted to someone either..."

 Nick thought about that and replied slowly himself, noticing on some level how Greg had gone straight to the relationship angle of his question. 

 "Why...would that be a bad thing? Surely it'd get, I dunno, all the doubts and uncertainties out the way. If two people like each other they'd just be able to tell."

 But Greg was quick with his reply,

 "But you're assuming it's reciprocated. What if it was one-sided? Can you imagine all the humiliation that would come from that?"

 There was a thoughtful pause, and just as Nick was beginning to wonder if Greg was letting him in on a previous experience, (or whether this was even about Sarah) when his friend quickly lightened the mood.

  "And y'know, not to mention all the sexual harassment suits that would entail. And anything that calls for more lawyers cannot be good."

 They laughed lightly, just as Warrick poked his head round the door.

  It went unnoticed by him, and barely acknowledged by the other two but there was a slight shift in the atmosphere, as if a private moment had been disturbed, and almost unconsciously Greg and Nick's eyes withdrew from each other's and they stepped back from each other just ever so slightly…

  "Hey Nick you got a minute?" Warrick called.

 "Uh, yeah sure." Nick glanced back up at Greg, and smiled. "Later." 

 "Later." Greg replied, and something in the way they had said it told that Nick really did intend to catch up with him soon – it wasn't just a casual farewell.

  As Nick followed the other CSI out of the room, Greg found himself letting out a sigh. It was weird how down he felt whenever Nick left. And something in the conversation today…

  He shook the thoughts away and went back to organising the files on his desk.

  _You're beat Greg. Just get this done, then go home. And do yourself a favour, and stop thinking._

   As Warrick walked down the corridor with Nick at his side, he browsed through the file in his hand, searching for the data he wanted Nick to take a look at.

 "Hey what's with you and Greg?" he muttered conversationally. 

Nick's eyes flashed up at him.

 "What?" he asked quickly.

 Warrick cast him a quick sideways glance, still paying more attention to the file.

 "I dunno, you guys are spending a lot of time together lately."

 "Well what did you mean by that?" Nick asked, surprised at the hostility in his voice.

 Warrick looked up at him now with a frown.

 "What? Nothing. I dunno." He shook his head at the weirdness that was Nick Stokes, and that he quite frankly didn't have time for. "Whatever Nick, just take a look at this will you?"

 He showed him the information, and Nick tried to concentrate, pushing aside the strange panic he'd just felt.

 _Get a grip buddy. Just get a grip.  _

TBC.

R/R – pretty please?


	4. Loosened tongues

A few weeks later… 

Greg looked up, stifling a groan of annoyance, as Catherine and Grissom entered the lab. One of them harassing him for results he didn't have yet was bad enough, but if he had to think about two different cases right now…

 "Okay, who's first? " he asked, exhaustion in his voice. He was quite frankly surprised that Nick hadn't taken the opportunity to come see him – he knew he and Catherine were on the same case and he could have at least tagged along, or even offered to come in Catherine's place.

 Grissom gave one of his teasing smiles, and motioned that Catherine should have the floor.

 "Ladies first."

 She raised her eyebrows at him, but then turned quickly to Greg.

 "Listen we're behind enough already after what happened to Nick, so I really need the DNA results from the hair samples, as well as-" she fished out an evidence bag –" this substance analysed, and I could really do with it done in a hurry Greg."

 But the majority of what she'd said went by in blur. Only one part stood out clear in his  mind.

 " Wait, what do you mean 'after what happened to Nick'?"  

 Grissom and Catherine seemed surprised that the news hadn't got to him yet.

 "You haven't heard?" Grissom asked, with something of amusement in his voice.

Greg at gave him a look that plainly showed how little he valued that stating of the obvious. It was Catherine who calmly explained;

 "Nicky was at the crime scene when someone snuck up on him and knocked him out. They stole some of the evidence he'd gathered."

 The CSI team had not really needed such a reminder of the Holly Gribbs incident, but they'd got over it pretty soon after they'd heard. What mildly surprised the two senior CSIs now was the look of immense concern on Greg's face.

 "Well, what, is he okay? Now, I mean?"

Catherine smiled supportively,

 "Oh yeah he's fine. The guy sure packed a punch, and he's going to have a real shiner in the morning but he's okay. I sent him home anyway- kicking and screaming practically."

Greg gave a heavy sigh of relief. As Catherine repeated what she wanted done, Grissom couldn't help wondering how he'd missed this growing friendship between Nick and Greg. It wasn't until Warrick mentioned something the other day that he'd realised how little he actually new about how his employees interacted with each other. He'd no idea who was best friends with who, if any of them were dating anyone else at CSI…or even each other. That had been a thought that had shaken him up a bit.

  Luckily for Greg, Grissom only wanted some results back, rather than setting him some new work. Left alone, he completed Catherine's request in half the normal time, so fast he was just hovering on the line between acceptable and unacceptable work practice; he just hoped no-one would ever question the accuracy of these results in court some day.

  After that, he'd pretty much finished all the work he had for that day; as Nick had said a couple of days ago, it really was quiet lately.

 All this meant that he actually headed home on time tonight. People often didn't realise just how much overtime he had to do to process all the evidence that came through his lab. He'd just wanted out of CSI today, wanted some space to think. He often savoured the drive home. With the window down, and the cool night air managing to blow through even his gelled hair, he felt like he could escape all the ugly things, all the murders and the rapes he heard about during his shifts, and could look forward to just going home, taking a shower, getting a beer, and simply watching some TV before he fell asleep on his couch. 

 The drive home today though found him full of that shaky feeling that comes with the thought of what _could_ have happened to his friend tonight. The guy could have had a gun. He could have killed him. Holly had been terrible, but it wasn't like they'd really _known_ her. She was more a name now, a lesson to learn from, rather than an actual person, a friend. But if it had been Nick…

 Nick.

 Nick was sitting on the steps to Greg's building.

 Greg swung his car into his parking space quickly, and got out.

 "Nick, I heard what happened – are you okay?"

He approached his friend, sitting on the steps, his head hung low.

 He heard Nick give a small laugh.

 "Yeah, yeah I'm okay..its just…"

He raised his head and Greg winced at his already swollen eye

 "Just what?"

Nick's smile faltered and Greg could hear the thickness in his voice.

 "It's just…I might not have been. I could be dead right now."

Greg knelt down beside him and met his eye with understanding.

 "Come on inside. You need a beer."

Nick nodded, and pulled himself up, following his friend into his apartment. 

~ ~ ~

"Hey, should you even be drinking this? You could have a serious head injury y'know. You _were_ unconscious."

 They were at that mellow stage of drunkenness where you were relaxed enough to ramble, but not quite enough to slur your words.

 Nick waved aside Greg's concern.

 "I was out for like, all of two seconds. I was more stunned than anything."

 "Did you get a look at him?"

"Not really." Nick said, shaking his head. "Just a sense of movement and then-" he gestured towards his eye.

"You were lucky man", Greg said heavily.

 "Yeah. Yeah, I was", 

 They were both slouched on Greg's sofa, oblivious to the time, or the morning sun creeping though the windows. Staying up late and getting drunk didn't have quite the same meaning to it when you worked the graveyard shift. After a long beat of comfortable silence, Nick turned to Greg with an embarrassed look on his face.

 "Is the eye really bad?" he asked, cringing.

 Greg laughed.

 "Only when you do that."

Nick groaned.

 "Great. Now I'll have a reminder for the next coupla days of how I wasn't paying attention. Plus I just know Warrick and Sara are gonna tease me about my 'spoilt good looks'. I already got that off Catherine."

 That got a smile from Greg, and an amused shake of the head.

 "Man, that's because they know how vain you are."

Nick looked at him with complete disbelief on his face.

 "_I'm_ vain?  Me? Have you looked at yourself in the mirror lately?"

Greg frowned.

 "What's that supposed to mean?"

 "Well, whatever it is you do to your hair, you sure as hell must spend a while on it."

 Greg gave in and grinned.

 "Well, we cute guys can't let our good looks slip."

Nick punched him playfully on the shoulder.

" Hey, are you implying that I'm not cute?"

Greg punched him back.

 "No, the 'we' included you."

 There was a pause then in the laughter, and Nick looked at him with a little more attention.

 "Are you saying…that you think I'm cute..?"

Greg seemed to lock his eyes forward, and sat there as if considering his next move. Normally he would have come up with a witty response to that, something to laugh the moment off. But he was drunk. He was tired. And today he'd almost lost this guy laughing and joking beside him, due to some stupid kid who'd returned to a crime scene.

 "Yes." he sighed. "I think you're cute. And you know you are. "

Nick seemed to take that in.

 "Huh." He said.

"Yeah." Greg replied, taking another sip of beer, past caring about any awkwardness.

Eventually he looked up into Nick's face to see him smiling with a mixture of surprise and amusement on his face.

 "You're not that bad-lookin' yourself you know."

 They grinned at each other with only the mildest of embarrassment.

 _What the hell_ Greg thought.

  He leaned in quickly and kissed Nick before he had a chance to back away.

TBC 

R/R


	5. Facing fears

Nick's eyes went wide with shock as he felt Greg's lips on his own. When Greg pulled back, all he could do for a long while was stare. Eventually he offered,

 "Woah."

Greg watched his shock carefully, trying to get an idea of Nick's response, wondering whether he'd have to start laughing this off as a stupid drunken joke.. It was Nick though, who started the faint nervous laughter.

 "Man, how drunk are we?" he asked, his eyes darting all over.

 Greg looked down, and said steadily,  

 "Not that drunk."

Nick's laughter faded.

 "Greg, I…I don't-er.." His smile faltered now as he turned to look at his friend. "I don't really know what to say to that..."

Greg couldn't help but give an amused grin as he sat back in his seat.

 "Well despite what you might think this is a fairly new situation for me too…"

 Nick looked at him incredulously. 

 "Greg…I'm sorry, but…you did just, like, kiss me right?"

  Greg sighed, and looked back at him still smiling at the insanity of it all.

 "I really did."

 He started to lean forward, only to find Nick flinching away. He raised up his hands innocently.

 "Hey man, I was just going to ask you to think about this okay? Don't just, y'know, freak out automatically."

Nick shook his head hastily.

 "I'm not freaking out - I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Well I think I have a right to Greg!" Nick cried, standing up quickly. He started to nervously pace back and forth the room.

 "I mean you just…What the hell _was_ that?"

Greg sat forward resting his arms on his knees.

 "I'm sorry, it just.." Sighing he tried to find the right words, "I don't know, it just…felt right."

He looked up helplessly, like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar and is looking up as if to say _What did you expect? I'm just a kid._

Nick just had no idea what to say to that. Admittedly, yes, they felt comfortable together, and he liked him, and they'd been relaxed and happy after a pretty crappy shift. And yes, Greg was fun and sweet and…

  He stood staring at Greg with a look of desperation on his face, trying to understand.

 "Greg, I'm not gay." 

Greg rolled his eyes.

 "Don't even go there with the labels…I mean, 'straight', 'bi', 'gay'..they just get in the way-"

"-in the way of what?"

"-of  admitting what you feel!" Greg exclaimed, his face earnest but excited. "I mean, this thing kinda crept up on my too Nick! All I know is that what I've been feeling for you these past weeks- hell, even before that - is _more_ than just friendship…"

 He stood up now, waving his arms in a gesture of defeat; "I tried to ignore it, but y'know what? When I heard you'd been attacked, well…we're talking honest-to-god mortal dread here! That's when I realised I don't want to lose this – what we have."

 "So you decided kissing me would help _how?" _ Nick knew he was sounding angry, but he couldn't help it. Everything Greg was saying rang true in his ears; he knew this friendship felt different, he knew to what extent he enjoyed Greg's company…but he'd never expected Greg to voice those thoughts. He'd somehow expected them to carry on like this for a long time, and what he'd just done had ruined everything.

 Greg was looking at him with a strange mixture of pleading and pity.

 "Nick, this thing we have…its great. Its more than great; its getting to the point where it's the thing that makes getting out of bed in the morning worthwhile. My whole day is spent waiting for you to walk into my lab, or re-playing the conversations we've had in my head. I want to show you - no, I _need_ to show you how much you mean to me."

 He sighed, and took a step closer to Nick, and spoke quietly, steadily;

 " As great as what we have is…I think it could be even more. I feel like we're on the brink of something great – but we've just been too scared to take that final step."

 They stood facing each other only a short distance apart, the tension great. Greg saw the fear in Nick's eyes mirroring his own, and saw the pain of longing in his face.

 "You once told me your most meaningful relationship was with Kristy_._" Greg continued, watching him carefully. "Now, if that's still true, if you can honestly say that you're satisfied with your life, with friendship only…then I'll back off right now."

  Nick stared back at him, taking in his words, knowing that there had always been something between them; there was a compatibility, an understanding that he'd only recently realised the extent of, but there had always been that playfulness, that banter, and that attraction to this cute funny guy, who brought a happiness and sense of fun to his life of seeing the dark side of humanity. Yet, at the same time, there had been instances to show that Greg wasn't just some lab clown, some joker kid…there was a great intelligence and sincerity behind his eyes, in his voice, at times that had allowed Nick to treat him as an equal, and eventually to confide in him in a way he never had with anyone else. 

 And he really was very cute…

  "I can't say that." He said eventually.

 Greg's smiles were contagious, but they eventually faded into sweet looks of understanding, as nervously, tentatively, Nick reached out his hand to Greg's cheek, and moving round to the back of his neck, he pulled him close for another kiss. They both savoured each other's taste, aware of how unfamiliar and strange it felt to be kissing another guy, but as the kiss became more intense, and they reached out to hold the other closer, they both knew that ultimately, this felt so comfortable, so right, and so, so good.

TBC 

_Reviews please.._


	6. Waking dreams

Nick woke up blinking away the light streaming in through a gap in the curtains. He turned his head away from it, still half-asleep; and yawning, he stretched out his arms under the pillow. Slowly his mind caught up to the fact that something was wrong. The light was coming from his right…but his window was on the left side of his bed…He opened his eyes.

 This was not his bed.

 He knew this because lying beside him, beneath the tangled, unfamiliar red sheets, was the sleeping form of Greg.

 He was in Greg's bed.

 Everything came back to him in a glorious, surreal rush of memory. The attack, his need to see Greg and tell him of the fear he'd felt, how Greg had listened to everything while they drank- then the kiss, his reaction, Greg's words that seemed taken from his own mind, that second kiss, and then…

 "Never done that before.." he said to himself quietly.

 He couldn't deny that he was reeling a little from the _newness _of it all, and he was still pretty much in a state of shock. When he'd started his shift last night, the last thing he'd thought he'd be doing later was sleeping with Greg. But looking at the innocent and beautiful face smiling in sleep beside him, he couldn't for a moment feel any regret. Instead he felt a contented kind of buzz, a wonderful high, being able to just gaze at Greg lying with his hair ruffled and messed up, the bed sheets low enough to reveal his tanned neck and shoulders. Beneath those crazy shirts and his lab coat Greg had been hiding a very well-toned body, which he'd been only too happy to let Nick explore earlier. He couldn't tell himself that they hadn't had a helluva lot of fun that morning. 

 Curious, he looked about for a clock, and spotting one on the bedside table behind him, he saw that it was mid-afternoon. They had a while yet before they had to be at work. A sense of panic came to him then. How could he go back to reality, work side by side with the other CSIs, and not have them notice the change in him? How could he be in the same room with Greg and act as if nothing had happened? His thoughts were interrupted though by a stirring beside him.

 Greg's content smile widened as he came out from his sleep of exhaustion, and he slowly opened his eyes, as he stretched out beneath the covers with a happy sigh. When he caught sight of Nick beside him his eyes went wide for a second, and Nick couldn't help laughing as he wondered if his own dazed awakening had looked so amusing,

 "Don't worry – it'll all come back in a second." Nick teased, grinning.

 For a second he felt a flutter of uncertainty, wondering whether Greg would regret it all, and start rambling about what a mistake this all was.

 But instead, Greg grinned back, and stretched out his hand to run his fingers through Nick's dark hair.

 "Hey there." He muttered croakily.

 Nick laughed again, as he took Greg's hand in his own and kissed it.

 "Hey yourself… Not much of a morning person are we?"

 Greg groaned as he lifted his head to look at his alarm. Lying back down , he closed his eyes as he said patronisingly,

 "Its three o'clock. I think you mean afternoon person."

 He opened his eyes and smiled seductively. "After all, you should _know_ I'm a morning person."

 Nick laughed.

 "Oh, to be more precise that would be an 'early morning after my shift' person would it?"

Greg smiled back, but then Nick saw a look of uncertainty in his face and knew he was having the same thoughts as he'd been.  Nick looked down as he rubbed the back of Greg's hand gently with his thumb.

 "It's gonna be weird huh?"

Greg gave a half-laugh as if to say "No kidding." He looked up at Nick's face, wondering how he ever got so lucky;  how he ever drew up the courage to kiss him last night

"Nick.." he began quietly, "I know this has been, well, sudden, but-"

 "-hey." Nick interrupted, placing his other hand to Greg's cheek. "I'm not going anywhere."

Greg's face lit up even more, as he took in Nick's loving gaze.

 "So, this wasn't just a one-night-stand?" He asked teasingly. Nick smiled back, with that charismatic Texan smile that had attracted Greg to him from the very beginning.

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Nick replied, and leaned in to kiss him.

 When he'd drawn back, Greg voiced the worries they'd both had.

 "What are we going to do? About work, I mean?"

 Nick sighed, and leaned back on the pillow.

 "I don't know, I…I'm just still getting used to this myself…"

Greg watched him carefully.

 "You want to keep this just between us?"

Nick nodded gratefully.

 " I mean…just for a little while; I just need some time to get used to this without-"

"-without all the questions, the gossiping, yeah, yeah, I hear ya." Greg said, grinning with understanding.

Nick trailed his fingers along Greg's bare shoulder, down his arm.

 "I _am_ happy Greg."

 He looked into the brown eyes gazing back at him.

 "I know." Greg replied, and kissed him again. "So am I."

TBC 

_[Rating –  I said this in the original posting of this chap, but after a comment by Saryn I thought I should make it a little clearer…this is a more mature PG-13 for theme/inferences, but I still feel the non-graphic nature means this can't warrant an R rating. ]_

R&R!


	7. Back to reality

Spoilers: Refs to Nick's confession in 'Overload'.

  It wasn't until an hour before they had to get to work that they could bring themselves to get out of bed. Nick savoured every moment though that he lay in the warmth of the sheets, watching Greg get dressed first. 

 As the younger guy finished pulling his shirt over his head, his hair all ruffled, he caught sight of the eyes watching him.

 "What are you smiling at?" he asked, grinning shyly himself.

 Nick shrugged, keeping his smile.

 "Nothin'."

Greg came and perched on the end of the bed as he started to put on his socks and shoes.

 "Ah, y'see the thing is…" he leaned towards Nick and whispered conspiratorially, "I don't believe you."

Nick's smile widened.

 "I just can't believe this is happening." His eyes cast downward as he traced nervous circular patterns on the mattress. "I keep expecting to wake up. Its all so weird."

 Greg finished lacing up his shoes, and turned fully to face the man lying in his bed.

 "Good weird though?"

 Nick nodded, knowing that this was all so new that they both needed to be reassured again.

 "Very good."

 They smiled at each other for a moment, before Nick sighed and glanced sideways towards the bathroom. 

 "Guess I should go get ready too, huh?"

Greg raised his eyebrows in amusement.

 "Well, for someone who's trying to act like everything's normal, turning up late for work would be a damn poor start."

Their smiles faltered slightly, at the thought of work again, at the thought of heading back to reality.

 "I, uh, I guess I should head in first?" Greg said quietly.

 Nick reached out and took his hand. At that moment he was so thankful that this hadn't happened late at night; as wonderful as all this was, he knew himself well enough to know that if he'd woken the next morning, he would have told himself that things were different in the harsh light of day. If he had been able to hide this all away in the shadows of the night – if he could have buried it all as some terrible, blind moment in the darkness of the early hours…if he _could _have done all that, he couldn't swear that he _wouldn't _have. 

 He was still scared and unsure. But he knew that he had made a conscious choice earlier – Greg had offered to back off, and never mention the kiss or his feelings again, if Nick could say he didn't felt he same. He'd made a choice.

And as scared as he was, as gazed into Greg's uncertain face, he couldn't bring himself to regret a thing.

  "You go." he said gently. "If I don't have to see you about a case, then I'll come by the lab in my break."

  Greg smiled nervously.

 "Just don't forget about me okay?"  
 Nick couldn't help but laugh.

 "Trust me, that is so _not_ an option right now."

 Greg matched his smile, before suddenly leaning in and kissing Nick long and hard. He drew back breathless, and Nick stared back at him in mild surprise, but he was already turning to leave the room.

 As Nick got out of bed, and headed for the shower himself, he realised what had just gone through Greg's mind.

He's afraid I'll freak out today. He's afraid I'll regret it all. He thought that might be the last chance he gets to kiss me…

  Nick let the water run hot enough to hurt, trying not to think about what the hell he was getting into.

~ ~ ~ 

 As he drove into work, he marvelled at how the world around him seemed completely the same. Even looking at his own face in the rear-view mirror, he couldn't see anything to betray just how much his life had changed in twenty-four hours. How could anything ever be the same again? Even if he stopped this thing with Greg right now – something he _really_ didn't want, but had to admit crossed his frightened, and confused mind – then he'd be forever wondering about what exactly had made him do what he'd done; he'd be forever more questioning his feelings, questioning his sexuality, asking himself what he had seen in Greg that had made him take such an incredible leap of faith.

  But the reality was that he couldn't leave this now. This wasn't about sex. Well, okay, that was a damn important factor in this whole 'changing-life-forever' thing, and it was certainly the part that brought immediate concerns about people finding out. But what was making him the most excited, filling him with the most nervousness as well as happiness, was this feeling that he'd found someone. He'd found that understanding, that contentment, and that pleasure he'd been looking for longer than he could admit. It had just come from a very unexpected source. 

  Nick was smiling despite himself, but a sudden thought caused his smile to falter a second. He'd never felt so at ease, and so happy in his life as when he was with Greg – just in his presence, looking in his eyes, hearing his voice. Was this…could this be…_it_? Could this really be love – the truest, all-consuming, life-enhancing kind? Man, he knew he could act as flippant as the rest of his co-workers when it came to relationships, but it wasn't like he never thought about this stuff. They could all laugh at the suggestion, they could call him the 'ladies man', but deep down, Nick was just as much a romantic as anyone else. Perhaps more so after his past, after that time when he was nine…He needed to believe there was a completely selfless, honest kind of love out there. 

  He felt his chest tight, his breath shaking, at the possibility that he'd finally found it.

TBC 


End file.
